The House of Windsor has arrived in Sydney with a visit from senior British royal Prince Edward to the oldest boxing gym in Australia.
At a Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) in Woolloomooloo on Tuesday, the Duke of Edinburgh was introduced to young boxers including aspiring Olympian Marlon Sevehon, a 21-year-old with two championship wins under his belt.
Holding a punching bag for the young fighter, the prince joked the blows were falling softer than he had anticipated.
"Great stuff - I'm going to let go now," he said.
The youngest brother of King Charles is in Australia for a three-day visit as part of his role as the patron of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.
It's his first visit to Australia since becoming the Duke of Edinburgh, a title bestowed on his father Philip Mountbatten when he married the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947.
The prince was introduced to the PCYC's boxing program for disadvantaged youth by trainer Adam Thompson.
The program targets young people who might be at risk of offending and instead offers them a chance to join the boxing community.
The prince also met with Duke of Edinburgh award participants and their families, representatives of Corrective Services NSW as well as prison inmates taking part in the program.
The Duke of Edinburgh program has been operating in Australia for more than 60 years and encourages youth between the ages of 14 and 24 to develop skills, participate in community service and undertake outdoor physical challenges.
The organisation's chief executive in Australia, Peter Kaye, said the growing number of participants indicated it was more relevant than ever to young people trying to build life skills.
Youths from around NSW travelled to Sydney for the occasion, with the prince presenting several gold award achievement certificates and speaking about the importance of the program in teaching young people to overcome challenges.
"I have enjoyed meeting each and every one of you," he told the group.
Australian Associated Press
